From Loneliness to Leadership
In 2019, Joy left her home in Zambia to pursue social work in Michigan. It was a huge shock for her, as she felt American culture clash with her Zambian culture. She felt alone and pleaded with God to give her a community where she could be loved and could give love. Weeks passed and […]
Where to Begin: The Story of Two Strategic Location Start-Ups
Since IFI’s mission is to provide hospitality and friendship to international students out of reverence for Jesus, it would make sense to base ourselves in the areas with the most international students, don’t you think? For this reason, IFI has focused on 10 strategic locations– influential areas in the country where international students thrive and […]
Road to Freedom
In 2019, Montserrat moved to the U.S. from Mexico in hopes of finding a better life. However, her physical disability, disconnect with American culture, and the struggle to make ends meet made her feel like a burden. The land of the free didn’t feel so free, after all. Things began to change when a new […]
One Year Later: A Student’s Journey to Finding Purpose
It was January of 2022 when Varun* left his home in South Asia to pursue his Master’s in the US. He was oblivious to the culture shock he would experience. The overall American lifestyle confused him. “It was not at all easy,” Varun* said. Above all else, he didn’t have a good community of friends […]
Treated as Their Own: A Family’s Embodiment of God’s Love
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A Newfound Family
Though Kush arrived in the U.S. in August 2021, it didn’t feel like he had left his home country of India. Living in Manhattan, New York he was still surrounded by his uncle’s family. It wasn’t until he decided to transfer to the University of Dayton in Ohio that fears began to creep in. Who […]
New Home, New Friends, New Perspective
Unlike most international students, Juan Pablo never experienced culture shock. “I have loved the U.S. since the very first moment I arrived,” he says, “and my feelings have not gone down.” However, this didn’t mean the transition was seamless. A PhD student in theoretical mathematics, Juan Pablo left his home country of Argentina and arrived […]
Paying Hospitality Forward
Being an international student herself, Neema is familiar with how it feels to be far from home. When she arrived from Tanzania in 2015 to study Physical Therapy, she found herself feeling discouraged. Although she was excited to be in the U.S., she still battled language barriers, culture shock, and homesickness. She wanted to make […]
The Support She Needed When Family Was Far Away
In September 2021, Mary* arrived in the United States from Ghana to pursue her PhD in biochemistry. However, within one week of her arrival, she found herself in the hospital facing life-altering news: she had Leukemia. “It was a difficult moment for me,” Mary remembers. “I felt so scared and abandoned, especially because I had […]
I Think or We Think?: Individualistic vs. Group-Oriented Cultures
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